Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Snacks on the go

My house is a goldfish free zone.  We do not feed our children those little nuggets of flour, salt, and food coloring.  Really, we rarely serve any crackers or cereal for snacks (we actually use cereal as target practice during potty training).  They offer no nutritional benefit.  They just fill up hungry tummies.

Instead, Hannah and Ben snack on fruit, veggies, and dairy.  Admittedly, they eat more fruit and dairy than vegetables but we are getting there.  At  first I thought snacks would be hard to manage on a paleo diet.  I need to be able to feed the children snack while we run errands or play with friends.  I mistakenly thought I would need to rely on packaged snacks for convenience.

Boy was I wrong.  Fruit is just about the easiest thing to throw in my purse or pool bag!  Most fruits require no preparation, no refrigeration, and are fairly mess-free.  Bananas come in their own packaging.  Apples stay fresh for a long time.  Grapes keep little fingers occupied (and off the grocery shelves).  Toss in a stainless steel water bottle and we can be gone for hours.  A quick swipe with  a baby wipe to remove any stickiness and we are back in business.

If we are going to be at the pool for a few hours I like to bring a snack with a bit more protein and fat.   That is where dairy comes to the rescue.  A cheese stick or yogurt offers a bit of staying power.  If the kids are really playing hard I'll bring a snack with carbs and protein.  Lately Ben's favorite snack is dates stuffed with walnuts.  Hannah prefers plain greek yogurt topped with strawberries and almonds.  Yum!

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